


My home

by LikeASpeedingArrow



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LikeASpeedingArrow/pseuds/LikeASpeedingArrow
Summary: Barry finds a home with the Wests, in particular Iris. Years later Iris realises he was hers too.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Iris West, Barry Allen & Iris West & Joe West, Barry Allen/Iris West
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	My home

This year was going to be different. Iris knew instantly from looking at her dad's face. Joe stood in front of the oven watching the food he'd put in there to cook, a stack of uneaten pies sat behind one left with only three slices, tins of cookies lined the counters and boxes of decorations stood stacked high beside their Christmas tree for the year. "Dad?" 

"Yes, baby girl?" Joe looked over at her. 

"How do I cheer Barry up?"

Barry was her best friend. She hated seeing him sad. 

"All we can do is include him and see if he feels better."

Iris thought this was too obvious, even though she was very young. Of course, she wanted to include him. He was her best friend, after all! Still, she nodded, knowing that this would be the first year that she and her dad's traditions wouldn't involve visiting the Allens briefly so that she and Barry could exchange gifts. "He misses his mom and dad." She pointed out.

Joe nodded and glanced at the currently undecorated tree. "Why don't you go get him?" 

Iris nodded and headed upstairs to where she knew she would find Barry and knocked on his door, hearing his soft-spoken "Come in."

"Hey, Bear," Barry looked at her curiously, and Iris had a sudden flashback to when he and she became fast friends. "Dad said to come and get you. I think we're going to decorate the tree."

Barry's eyes flashed brightly with sudden glee, and he all but jumped from his seat, Iris letting out a silent sigh of relief at the action. "Lead the way."

Iris smiled, carefully tugging him downstairs quickly so that neither of them tripped and fell. They found Joe opening a box, the stack now scattered around the living room. "Ready?"

Iris and Barry wore twin grins as the group decorated the tree, the kids staring in wonder at the twinkling lights and shiny Tinsel once they finished. "It's beautiful," said Iris.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Barry added, a warm feeling spreading through his chest.

Joe ducked out of the room and came back, carrying two wrapped gifts. Iris smiled while Barry frowned ever so slightly in confusion. "Here you are," Joe said, handing one to each of them.

"Thanks, dad!" Iris went straight in with hers, pulling the wrapping paper apart, excited to see what it was.

Barry, on the other hand, stared at his in silence, his hands unmoving. Iris didn't notice, as engaged as she was in reaching her own.

But Joe did. "What's wrong, son? There will be more once the sales start."

Barry blinked. "Huh. More?" He looked at the present in his hands. "But this is already great I wasn't expecting anything. You've already done so much for me. I-" He cut off, unsure of himself. "I don't want to burden you."

Iris paused in her actions as her dad replied, "You're not."

"It's no fun getting all our presents in one day bear." She added.

Joe nodded in agreement, and Barry finally opened his present carefully, a smile gracing his face. "Thank you. I love it."

Iris and Barry each gave Joe a present of their own, and the three fell into easy conversation. Barry sat with his knees tucked against his chest, and Iris couldn't help but feel that he finally looked at home.

* * *

Iris entered the loft, to see Barry in the kitchen, the smell of cookies wafting over to her. "Something smells good."

Barry looked up with a smile, "And hopefully it'll taste good too." Iris unwound her scarf and unbuttoned her coat as Barry set down his decorating tools, meeting her halfway. "Hi."

Iris looked around. "Hey, babe. You decorated?"

Barry wrapped an arm around her. "I did everything but the tree. I thought we could do it together."

"Sounds perfect."

They worked in tandem, each acting like one hand of a pair. A comfortable silence fell over the two, the only noises coming from the city below and the Jazz album being played on a low volume.

They admired their work as they finished, the lights softly twinkling like in their childhood being caught by the many different colours of Tinsel strewn on the tree. 

"Oh, it's beautiful," Iris said.

This year Barry wasn't looking at the tree, his eyes settled instead on his wife. "Yeah, you are."

Iris let out a soft laugh, "flatterer."

Barry shrugged and reached over to his left to grab something. "I know we're going to Joe's to see everyone but before that." Iris looked at him. "I have something for you." He handed her a gift-wrapped box.

Iris took it carefully, slowly undoing the delicate bow that sat on top of it then taking off the wrapping paper. He finger flicked open the box to find a necklace. The design featured her husband's signature lightning bolt and a mini Central City Citizen newspaper charm hanging from a thin chain. "Oh, Bear," she gasped.

Barry looked at her. "It's not everything, but I thought you could wear it to Joe's."

"Not everything?"

"Well yeah, as you once said, it's no fun getting all our presents in one day." Iris laughed, the memory coming back to her. "Besides this is more of a thank you than it is Christmas related."

"A thank you?"

"Yeah."

Iris took his hand gently. "For what?"

"For always being there." He finally replied after some thought. "I gave you plenty of reason to leave by being so insistent about what I saw that night, for being an idiot on multiple occasions, for not telling you about being the Flash straight away. Yet you're still here and still not getting enough credit." 

Iris looked at him. "I had no reason not to believe you, I knew you weren't lying."

Barry nods. "Even so. Thank you for being you." Iris smiled softly. "Thank you for always believing in me, and thank you for being my home."

"You're mine too." Iris said, "You've always been mine. Even when I dated Eddie. You were my home, I didn't know what it meant back then, and it's only recently I finally figured out what it actually meant but your mine too."

"I love you, Iris West-Allen."

"I love you too, Barry Allen."

Iris swore the kiss that followed was the best she'd had.


End file.
